Even though customers in deregulated cities routinely pay more for electricity, there is a bright spot. The gap between the average price paid for electricity between deregulated cities like Houston and regulated cities like San Antonio have dwindled to the narrowest point ever to 8.8 percent. Back in 2006, customers in deregulated cities were paying nearly 47 percent more for electricity than their counterparts in regulated cities.

The freedom to choose your energy rates in Maryland is not only available in homes but also to commercial customers. In fact, more than 90% of large businesses in the state have enrolled with alternative suppliers. This competition between energy suppliers to provide lower prices for businesses could be why commercial electric prices in Maryland are lower than the national average this year. If the same competition between suppliers existed for residential customers, prices might also decrease. However, without participation in energy choice, suppliers are not forced to compete for your business. Want to see the available rates? Enter your ZIP code above.

Consumers in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and Corpus Christi were promised bargains on electricity when the Texas Legislature deregulated the electricity market. But 16 years later they're still paying more for electricity than their counterparts in cities Texas lawmakers exempted from deregulation such as Austin and San Antonio, according to the Texas Coalition for Affordable Power which analyzed federal electricity pricing data.
The more cool air you lose, the harder your air conditioning unit works and the higher your electricity bill will be. Install blinds, hang curtains or get storm windows made to keep cool air from seeping out. Even mesh screens, on the outside of your home, will help deflect solar radiation. You might even consider replacing old windows that leak cold air and let in heat.
Knowing how much electricity you use each month is important to finding the cheapest electricity plan. For Houstonians, usage is typically the lowest in the winter and highest in the summer. Your specific usage levels can be determined by simply looking back at previous electric bills and finding the kWh used. To avoid electric bill surprises during the peak summer months, you’ll need to accurately know your peak electricity usage which typically occurs in August.
Customers can find deals in competitive electricity markets if they take the time and effort to look at web sites such as powertochoose.org, the official comparison shopping site of the Public Utility Commission. The study cited a PUC survey of retail electricity offerings in Houston that showed nine deals in March that were lower than the regulated price of electricity in San Antonio.
Both tariffs are available with either paper or paperless (online) billing. E.ON participates in the Warm Home Discount scheme for some customers. There are no exit fees if you decide to leave this supplier within 14 days. If you change your mind after that time, you’ll be charged exit fees of £25 per fuel. Exclusions apply, including the type of meter you own, so make sure you read the additional terms and conditions.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average household in Texas uses about 15,000 kWh of electricity per year — 26 percent more than the national average, “but similar to the amount used in neighboring states.” That said, the only way to know your personal average energy consumption is by looking at your electricity bills over the course of a year (you want to accommodate all weather conditions) and understanding both your overall usage, as well as if you use more or less during certain months.
Prepaid electric, or “pay as you go electricity” is a affordable choice for people with short term living arrangements as well as those wanting to eliminate light bills and need their lights on the same day. Prepaid electricity in Texas is rapidly growing in popularity. Thanks to smartphone apps, Texas college students are choosing to prepay for a fast, easy connection and payment. With smart meter technology, homeowners and renters can easily monitor, regulate and conserve their usage which saves money. Quick Electricity has energy plans to suit the customer preparing for an upcoming move, serving in the military, looking for green energy solutions, or simply wanting to take it month-to-month with no deposit. Don’t fit any of those molds? We can set you up to build your own energy plan!
Both tariffs are available with either paper or paperless (online) billing. E.ON participates in the Warm Home Discount scheme for some customers. There are no exit fees if you decide to leave this supplier within 14 days. If you change your mind after that time, you’ll be charged exit fees of £25 per fuel. Exclusions apply, including the type of meter you own, so make sure you read the additional terms and conditions.

Unlike with long-term plans, monthly, variable rate (no-contract) plans have no cancellation fees. You won’t have to pay a penalty if you decide to take your business elsewhere because you found a better deal. Plus, you won’t be left paying more than you should if the market rate for energy trends down. However, if the market prices rise, you’ll have to pay more than those who are in-contract.

Since 2002, Amigo Energy has been one of the best electric companies in Texas. Not only that, but more recently we’ve received far fewer Public Utilities Commission of Texas (PUC) complaints than most other large residential electricity providers across the state.2 In fact, our customer service gets even better over the phone because our call-in customers have yet to file a PUC complaint this year.3 This ain’t our first rodeo—with over 15 years of experience and a track record of reliable service, you can trust Amigo Energy as your retail electricity provider.
Entrust Energy is a privately owned retail electricity and natural gas provider. With over 100,000 customers, it is one of the fastest growing providers in the nation. Entrust not only offers competitive rates and reliable customer service, but they have also eliminated all unnecessary monthly customer fees to show appreciation to their loyal customers. Entrust’s Customer Care Center, located in the US, provides personalized assistance to all customers to help reinforce the commitment to upholding the highest customer service standards in the industry.
Price, of course. Prices are expressed in cents/kilowatt hour. Plan types include fixed rates and variable rates. Fixed rates offer consistency throughout the plan term, which can run from six to 36 months. Variable rates can change monthly - they're great when prices go down, but not-so-great when they don't. Finally, if you care about your carbon footprint, you may choose a plan sourced by solar or wind energy.

It’s worth noting that you can switch for free with no exit fee 42-49 days before the end of your contract. Under Ofgem’s standards of conduct, energy firms have to give you between 42 and 49 days’ notice of your tariff ending. You can use this time to decide whether to stick with them, or switch. If you decide to switch, you won’t be charged an exit fee.

As a residential or commercial customer, you’ll enjoy competitive rates, flexible contracts, and personalized plans that give you the power to choose what’s best for you. And we offer no-deposit electricity for well-qualified customers and deposit payment plans for those with less than desirable credit so that switching retail electric providers won’t break the bank.‡ When you switch to Amigo Energy today, you’ll switch on the power of convenience and affordability.
As they’re advertised, the Digital Discount plan appears to save you $4 — but only if you use 32 percent of your energy on the weekends, which is the stat Reliant used to create the average price it advertises. Say you often travel for business during the week, and are only home cranking the air conditioner on weekends. If your energy use skews to 55 percent weekend use (for Reliant, that means 8 pm on Friday through 12 am Monday), suddenly Truly Free Weekends becomes a much better deal.
If you want your electricity plan to be as stable and reliable as your recliner, Quick Electricity has some trustworthy, low-cost, long-term plans for you from the top light companies in Houston, Dallas and the rest of energy deregulated Texas. These by-year plans reduce cost fluctuation and eliminate hassle from switching and renewing plans. Choose from 12-Month and 24-Month Fixed Rate plans.
TDU Delivery Charge: TDU stands for transmission and delivery utility — in other words, the utility company in your area that is actually piping the energy from the power generation companies into your home. (Remember, REPs in Texas are just the middleman.) The TDU delivery charge is set by the utility and is consistent from plan to plan and provider to provider within its service areas. For example, AEP , the TDU for Corpus Christi, charges the same delivery fee for all TXU, Direct Energy, and Reliant plans. You don't typically get a choice in utility company, and therefore, these fees are pretty much unavoidable, non-negotiable, and won't factor into choosing an electricity plan or provider.
Twenty-nine states have deregulated electricity, natural gas or both. That allows you to shop for the supply portion of your bill from alternative providers who may offer rates lower than the default supplier – usually a utility. Delivery services and billing will remain the responsibility of the local utility as they own the power lines and wires that keep the lights on.
uSwitch is a free service that handles the switching process for you. Once you've completed your energy switch, your new energy supplier will contact your old supplier and agree a switching date. You will then receive a welcome pack and letter from your new gas & electricity supplier. This will outline what you've agreed to, and tell you what happens next. There won't be any interruption in your gas and electricity supply.
Knowing how much electricity you use each month is important to finding the cheapest electricity plan. For Houstonians, usage is typically the lowest in the winter and highest in the summer. Your specific usage levels can be determined by simply looking back at previous electric bills and finding the kWh used. To avoid electric bill surprises during the peak summer months, you’ll need to accurately know your peak electricity usage which typically occurs in August.
Twenty-nine states have deregulated electricity, natural gas or both. That allows you to shop for the supply portion of your bill from alternative providers who may offer rates lower than the default supplier – usually a utility. Delivery services and billing will remain the responsibility of the local utility as they own the power lines and wires that keep the lights on.
The weakest S&P 500 subsector during 2014 was Oil and Gas Drilling, down 46%, which wasn’t very surprising, considering the price of oil dropped 50% from its peak in June through the end of the year. That subsector has risen 6% this year through Monday’s close, showing that there’s plenty of buying taking place. Most other subsectors within energy declined last year, but only three have risen so far in 2015.
Both tariffs are available with either paper or paperless (online) billing. E.ON participates in the Warm Home Discount scheme for some customers. There are no exit fees if you decide to leave this supplier within 14 days. If you change your mind after that time, you’ll be charged exit fees of £25 per fuel. Exclusions apply, including the type of meter you own, so make sure you read the additional terms and conditions.
City Power and Gas is licensed and regulated by the governing body that regulates the energy rates and services within New York. Their core management team has over 50 years of industry knowledge and expertise in providing energy to customers nationwide. This experience in the retail energy markets has enabled them to bring the most competitive pricing and fixed pricing plans to the customers, giving them protection against unforeseen high utility bills. Their in-house, US based customer service and quality assurance specialists are dedicated to promptly respond and deal with all clients’ inquiries.
Like we said, fees don’t necessarily make for a bad plan — although it’s worth it to do the math to see if you can save with another provider. For example, compare TXU Energy’s Simple Rate 12 plan with its $9.95 base charge, alongside Direct Energy’s Live Brighter 12 plan with a smaller base charge, and Reliant’s Digital Discount plan with no base charge. We’ll use a Corpus Christi ZIP code and assume 1,000 kWh/month of energy use.

That means that customers in Houston paid an average of $5,500 more for electricity over a 14-year time span beginning in 2002, according to the group that buys electricity on behalf of municipal governments in Texas. The calculation, which uses data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, assumes monthly electricity use of 1,300 kilowatt hours.

The Texas Senate Bill 7, passed in 2002, gave 5.6 million Texans the power to choose a retail electric provider (REP) to supply electricity to their home or business. This bill facilitated a competitive energy marketplace that 85 percent of Texans can capitalize on today. Energy choice is available to residents in Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth as well as other cities in Texas.
Fixed-Rate Plans: These plans are steady and predictable; the price per kWh you sign up for will remain that same for the entirety of your contract. (The only changes in your bill will be from forces outside of your REP's control, like changes in TDU fees, or changes in federal, state, or local laws.) Often fixed-rate plans will have a slightly higher price per kWh than others, but you're paying for the predictability. They're great if you live by your budget – and even greater if you happen to sign up when rates are low. The fixed-rate plans of our five Texas providers typically started at 12 months, with some extending up to three years, but we spotted a couple from Reliant that offered fixed rates for six month contracts as well.
2. Fraud: Too many people have been victimized by glib sales reps with promises of cheap electricity flowing in an unending stream only to discover that, as is so often true, “it ain’t necessarily so”. They’ve been locked into unwanted term contracts or there’s a catch – some utilities will give you the great rate only if you meet a usage minimum; basically, the “rate” is, in actuality, a “bulk purchase” discounted fee – or they paid a deposit never to hear from the rep again.